Judge J. David Walsh imposed two life terms and two 30-year terms, all concurrently, after denying a motion for a new trial. Verdone, 24, declined to address the court.
Palm Coast
Palm Coast’s Sign Regulations May Be Forced to Loosen, City Attorney Warns
The changes, which would likely relax Palm Coast’s rules, would be required to comply with a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling making the regulation of temporary signs on private property much more difficult.
4-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Critical After He’s Found Unresponsive in Locked Van in Driveway
The incident unfolded in early afternoon at a house at the corner of Blakefield Drive and Blare Castle Drive in Palm Coast. No foul play is suspected.
Reilly Opelka Is Wimbledon Boys Champion; Roger Federer Congratulates Him in Person
Reilly Opelka, raised on the courts of Flagler County, used a powerful serve and aggressive groundstrokes to realize a dream that seemed so farfetched even a few weeks ago, defeating Sweden’s Mikael Ymer, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon championship.
Palm Coast Takes Pride as Surging Opelka Plays in Two Wimbledon Finals Sunday
Winning his doubles semifinal match Saturday at Wimbledon, Reilly Opelka will be playing in two straight finals Sunday as Palm Coast gears up congratulations and possibly a watching party.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Stuns World’s No. 1 and Advances to Wimbledon Boys Final Sunday
The 17-year-old continued his dream run at Wimbledon Friday, defeating No.1 seed Taylor Fritz, 6-3. 7-6 (13) to reach his first-ever Slam final.
Overpowering Opelka Moves into Wimbledon Juniors Semifinal to Face World’s No. 1
Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka’s astounding run on Wimbledon’s grass continued with two wins Thursday, as he now faces the U.S.’ Taylor Fritz, the world’s No.1 junior, in a semi-final match.
Opelka Doubles Down on Wins as He Cruises Into Wimbledon Juniors Quarterfinals
After dramatic three-set wins the past two days, Opelka needed only 72 minutes to advance to his second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, then on his first-round doubles match at Wimbledon.
Long-Planned Shoppes at Grand Haven on Colbert Lane Finally See Bulldozer Activity
First envisioned almost a decade ago, the Shoppes at Grand Haven will be the new home of the gated community’s sales offices, which will anchor a hoped-for commercial development, the first on Palm Coast’s Colbert Lane.
After Months of Hedging, Palm Coast Approves New Rules on Yard Fences, Walls (and Bars)
The rules allow for more fence colors, eliminate setback and shrubbery requirements but more strictly regulate fences along saltwater canals.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Fires 17 Aces to Upset 3rd Seed, Advancing Again at Wimbledon
Once again swinging on drama, the 17-year-old Opelka played his best in the big points and narrowly upset No. 3 seed Corentin Denolly of France, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round in his first trip to Wimbledon.
Dead Person Found Decomposing Behind Walmart; Identity and Cause Unconfirmed
The dead person’s identity and gender have not been positively identified nor a cause of death determined, with those questions pending an autopsy by the medical examiner’s office.
Palm Coast Dead Zones: City Proposing Less Restrictive Cell-Tower Rules, But Council Demurs
The proposal is being made ahead of a deal between the city and a cell tower company to put a 150-foot tower near Heroes Park, behind Palm Coast Parkway, on land where Palm Coast’s Water Plan No. 1 sits.
Palm Coast Man, 60, Faces Capital Felony on Rape and Molestation Charges of 12-Year-Old Relative
Mario Edward DiGirolamo is at the Flagler County jail on $300,000 bond following his arrest Friday on three sex-crime charges involving a 12-year-old relative, including a count of rape, a capital felony.
Male Prostitute, 42, Faces Felony Charge of Assaulting Client, 69, in Palm Coast’s W-Section
A deputy had to threaten a naked Charles Hines, 42, with a Taser to force him out of the client’s house, naked, during a commotion that drew several neighbors’ attention Wednesday evening.
Palm Coast’s Jim Landon Retaliates Against County in Series of Accusations, Then Says Conflict Is All But Resolved
Landon put the city’s trust of the county in question, implied the county runs a less professional organization than the city, accused the county of deceiving a state agency, and accused the county manager of using bullying tactics before conceding that all is just about well between the two sides.
Palm Coast Points Finger Back at County Over Airport Water Clash, But Agrees to Executive Summit
Firing back at county criticism, City Manager Jim Landon said the county has always known what to do to resolve a standoff over a water agreement for the airport. But the city and county manager are now likely to meet with the mayor and the county board chairman to resolve the issue.
County Rips Into Palm Coast Government Over Shackled Airport Water Deal
County frustration boiled into outright criticism of Palm Coast’s administration Monday as the city has yet to sign a deal both sides agreed to seven months ago, controlling water service at the county airport.
Trial Begins for Man Accused of Kidnapping and Brutalizing Chinese Food Delivery Driver
Palm Coast’s Giuseppe Verdone, 24, could face life in prison on charges stemming from the 2013 attack on King Palace co-owner Ming Gong. The trial is expected to last much of the week.
Palm Coast Flagler Beaches Senior Games, Sept. 12-19: Registration Open
Active older adults can now sign up for the second annual Palm Coast & the Flagler Beaches Senior Games – offering competition in 14 sports.
Florida Park Drive Data Sees No Traffic Problem. Residents Differ. Council Is Stumped.
The Palm Coast council wants to help residents along Florida Park Drive, but it isn’t sure there is a solution there that would not also trigger a problem elsewhere.
Palm Coast Passes on Supporting County In Anti-Fracking and Drilling Resolutions
The Palm Coast City Council chose not to sign on to a pair of resolutions opposing fracking or seismic testing for oil offshore of Florida, saying the county has already spoken.
Imprisoned for Burglarizing Joe’s Pizza in 2009, He Targets Oriental Garden Tuesday
Hugh W. McIntyre,a resident of Palm Coast’s B-Section, was arrested Tuesday shortly after burglarizing Oriental Garden. He was sentenced to two years in prison for burglarizing Joe’s New York Pizza to support a drug habit in 2009.
Palm Coast Councilman Calls for Task Force to Address Public Abuse of Government Workers
At Council member Bill McGuire’s request, the city formed a task force to better protect government employees from what he says has become routine abuse in person, by phone, by email, and out on the streets where government workers often interact with residents.
Palm Coast Bragging Rights: City’s Fire Protection Rating Vaults to Near Highest
Palm Coast’s fire-protection ISO rating improves from 4 to 2, topping the county and yielding likely cheaper property insurance rates for commercial and residential property owners.
In a Reversal, Palm Coast Council Opts to Delay Old Kings Road Repaving Until Fall of 2016
The resurfacing of Old Kings Road will wait for the completion of a utility project along the road. Instead, three dozen city streets will be repaved in 2015-16.
Palm Coast’s Opelka Continues Stunning Run in Paris, Upsetting World’s No. 1 Junior For Quarterfinals Spot
The 17-year-old Opelka erased a 5-3 third-set deficit to win the final four games of the match Wednesday against No.1-ranked junior Orlando Luz of Brazil at the French Open Juniors tournament.
Taxable Values Rise Again–6% in Palm Coast, 7% in Flagler–But So Do Demands on Budgets
With more value comes more revenue for local governments, and more expectations from various agencies and the public–including a $2.4 million budget increase request from the sheriff’s office alone.
Palm Coast Wants Protection From Extortionist Lawsuits Over Public Record Requests
Palm Coast and the Florida League of Cities are seeking a change in law that would protect local governments from opportunistic groups more individuals who sue governments and companies over public record violations.
Palm Coast Council Members Cautiously Discuss Their Low Salaries, But No Raise Yet
Palm Coast council members earn the same as Bunnell commission members: $9,600 a year, even though Palm Coast has 30 times the population of Bunnell.
15 Years After Palm Coast Double Murder, David Snelgrove Is Back in Court, Contesting Death Sentence
Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, in their Bannbury Lane home in Palm Coast in June 2000. He’s arguing ineffective representation.
In LL-Section Fire, Puppy Rescue Gets All the Attention as a Father of 6 Struggles in ICU
Tuesday’s fire in the LL-Section left a 37-year-old father of 6 in the ICU since and split his children to relatives’ homes, but all the attention–and an award–has gone to firefighters’ rescue of two puppies and four older dogs.
Missing Key Ingredient—“People”—Charter Review Storm Evaporates as Quickly as It Came
Few people showed up at today’s Palm Coast council meeting and fewer still spoke on the charter-review proposal by Council member Steven Nobile, appearing to end the matter.
2 Hospitalized, 6 Dogs Rescued From House Fire in Palm Coast’s LL Section
A father and his young daughter, about 5 years old, were hospitalized for smoke inhalation this morning after a fire in the garage at 6 Llach Court in Palm Coast inundated the house with smoke, but was contained before spreading further.
Flagler’s Ronald Reagan Group Orchestrating Blitz on Palm Coast Council Over City Charter
An email request for “support” of council member Steven Nobile’s push for a charter review went to the local tea party membership, and was signed by the Ronald Reagan group’s president, Michael McElroy.
At Matanzas Woods Parkway Interchange Groundbreaking, Praise For the Overdue
Most groundbreakings aren’t worth the PR, because that’s all they are: a chance for the shovel hogs to get their picture in the news, let their flesh be pressed and their egos stroked. But Flagler County and Palm Coast have earned this one. And when Flagler County Chairman Frank Meeker said of the Matanzas Woods […]
Angered By Injunction, a Palm Coast Man, 25, Is Accused of Attacking His 72-Year-Old Grandmother
David Harris, 25, of Palm Coast’s L Section, is being held on $95,000 bond after allegedly attacking his grandmother and threatening her with a knife. He was angered by an injunction she’d taken out against him that same day.
Accused of Raping 11-Year-Old, Karl Westgate Pleads and Gets 25 Years
Palm Coast’s Karl Westgate, 19, had faced life in prison on rape charges but pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 25 years Thursday and a lifetime on sexual predator probation after that.
City of Palm Coast Employee Arrested on Charges of Impersonating Cop and Using Blue Light
Shaun Eric Fuller, a computer specialist with Palm Coast government, was arrested at city offices at City Marketplace in mid-afternoon Tuesday on charges of impersonating a police officer and using a blue light on his dashboard to pull over vehicles.
Rash of Assaults Helps Boost Jail Population; Burning Wick House Again Scene of a Bizarre Incident
The Flagler County jail population reached 160, higher than it’s been for most of the past four years, with a rash of domestic and other assaults contributing. A B-Section house that’s been a focus of trouble lately again drew police attention over the weekend.
Steven Nobile Thrust For Broad Charter Review Has Rest of Palm Coast Council on Defensive
A push for a charter review by Palm Coast City Council member Steven Nobile provoked an at-times heated discussion at council today as members largely opposed the notion absent a more defined public drive for changing the city’s equivalent of a constitution.
Afternoon Brush Fire That Smoked Up Palm Coast’s P-Section and I-95 Is Mopped Up
A brush fire in an isolated strip of woods between I-95 and Palm Coast’s P-Section kicked off a lot of smoke and burned a 2-acre area but never threatened homes and by sundown had been all but mopped up.
Beating and Crash Lead to Meth Lab in Palm Coast’s P-Section, and Arrests of 3 Men
Kenneth Stancil, Joseph Canfield and Brian Hitas were arrested for allegedly operating a methamphetamine lab at 20 Philmont Lane in Palm Coast’s P-Section after a disturbance and a car crash were reported in the area.
Hurricane, Terrorism, Evacuations: In Flagler Emergencies, These Are The People Who Hold Your Fate In Their Hands
The Flagler County Executive Policy Group is the most powerful local government panel you’ve never heard of, and its members make all key decisions in natural or man-made emergencies. They practiced this morning.
Citing PTSD, Palm Coast Man Makes Up Story of Being Shot By Black Assailants on I-95
For the second time in eight days, a Palm Coast resident is charged with filing a false report involving made-up black assailants. In this case, the 22-year-old man described himself as a military veteran suffering from PTSD.
Palm Coast’s Tennis Phenom Reilly Opelka, 17, Goes Pro After Catching Agent’s Eye
Reilly Opelka, 17, caught the eye of an agent at Palm Coast’s Men’s Futures Tournament in January, and got an offer. He turned pro a week ago, skipping college for the tour.
Not What Visiting Soccer Players Want to See: Man Threatens Teens With a Gun at Motel
Four teens visiting Palm Coast as part of the weekend’s State Cup soccer tournament were threatened with a gun when a Red Roof Inn guest, Samuel Foy, 35, screamed at the teens to be quiet.
Neighborhood Feuds Again Simmer Around Ralph Carter Park, But Solutions Questioned
While Ralph Carter Park in Palm Coast’s R-Section thrives, neighbors around Richardson Drive are feuding with younger people, who feel harassed for just hanging out. The city council is looking into a block party–and possibly more fence-building around the park.
Matanzas Woods Parkway Overpass Closes June 5 as Three Road Projects Start Rumble
Some 50 people turned up to hear an overview of the Matanzas Woods Parkway interchange and Old Kings Road extension projects, which will take a year to complete starting in June.
Palm Coast Mayor Rips Waste of County’s EMS Service and Says Do It All Or Pay the City
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts doesn’t question the quality of emergency services but considers them wastefully duplicative, and wants to see the city’s and county’s approach change.